Direction (1-6): Read the passage carefully then answer the questions given below.
People have long circulated news via word-of-mouth, and as language evolved into writing and literacy – and governments played larger roles in people’s lives – sharing information became a necessity. However, disseminating news and information on paper presented significant challenges. When each copy had to be handwritten, mass distribution was impossible. They were first chiseled in stone or metal; later, they were handwritten and distributed in public forums or read from scrolls by town criers. Though both ancient Romans and Chinese – as well as other ancient civilizations – had early forms of news media, they do not qualify as newspapers because they could not be mass-distributed.
 The first true newspapers arrived after Johannes Gutenberg introduced his movable type printing press to the European world around 1440. Though printing presses with movable type had existed in eastern Asia for around two centuries, they never made it to Europe; furthermore, Gutenberg’s version made it significantly faster to mass produce documents. By 1500, the printing press had made its way throughout Europe, and news sheets (or news books) were mass-distributed.
 The first weekly newspaper was published in Germany by Johann Carolus in 1604. Called Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, the publication satisfied the four tenets of a “true” newspaper: Accessibility by the public, Published at a regular interval (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) ,Information is current ,Covers a variety of topics (politics, events, entertainment, sports, etc.) Despite meeting the requirements for a newspaper, there is some debate as to whether The Relation qualifies as the world’s first newspaper since it was printed in quarto, not folio, size. It’s worth noting the World Association of Newspapers considers The Relation the first true newspaper.’
 Other German newspapers followed, and in 1618 the world’s first broadsheet newspaper printed in folio size was published in Amsterdam, called Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. The newspaper format soon spread throughout Europe, with newspapers published in Spain, France, and Sweden. The first English newspaper was published in 1665 in Oxford, England. Known as the Oxford Gazette, the newspaper moved to London in 1666 and was renamed the London Gazette. It’s still being published today. Soon after, the newspaper became a staple in all major European countries. It then made its way to the New World.

In ancient time what was the biggest challenge that the people had to face while circulating the news? 

Directions : In these questions , a part of the sentence is given in bold . Below are given alternatives to the bold part at (A) , (B) and (C) which may improve the sentence . Choose the correct alternative . In case no improvement is needed you answer is (D ) .

Mr. Smith arrived at India in June Last year.

Direction (1-5): Given below is a passage in which each line is numbered (1)-(5). Four words in each sentence are highlighted. Find out which word is not grammatically/contextually suitable in each of the numbered sentences.
(1) There is a need to question those in power as it is fundamental to preserve the nation and a truthful democratic society, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Thursday. (2) He also underscored the need for more accommodation in public discourse as democracy will be the “loser” if people refused to hear voices other than their own. (3) Delivering the Ramnath Goenka Memorial Lecture, he said all stakeholders in a democratic system, from parties to business leaders, citizens to institutions, have to realise that asking questions is good and healthy. (4) Mukherjee said people in power, across the spectrum of politics, business or civil society, by virtue of the position they enjoy, tend to dominate the discourse and effect its direction. (5) He said Indian civilisation has always celebrated plurality and promoted tolerance as these have been binding people together for centuries despite negligible differences.

Which of the following words is not appropriate in Sentence 5?

Select the most appropriate idiom ( in the context) to fill in the sentence.

Radha is unable to continue working in this office. Hard work is ______ on her health.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word.

Prevent

Direction: In the question, four alternatives are given for the Idiom/Phrase underlined in the sentence. Choose the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the Idiom/Phrase and mark it is the Answer Sheet.

to move heaven and earth 

In each of the following questions, sentences are given with blanks to be filled in with an appropriate word (s). Four alternatives are suggested for each question. Choose the correct alternative out of the four and indicate your choice for the correct answer.

London is _____ European city.

In these questions read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in it. If there is no error, the answer is (D).

He has (A) / no affection (B)/ with any body. (C)/ No error (D).